Apparatus for aligning dispenser system, method of aligning dispenser system, and dispenser alignment system

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for aligning a dispenser includes a table having a first alignment mark, an alignment plate provided along at least one side of the table, at least one syringe supplying a dispensing material to the alignment plate through a nozzle provided at one end portion thereof to form a second alignment mark, a first image camera provided along a side of the syringe and detecting an image of the second alignment mark, a second image camera detecting an image of the first alignment mark, and an alignment control unit aligning the image of the second alignment mark and a first reference position, and aligning an image of the first alignment mark and a second reference position.

The present invention claims the benefit of Korean Patent ApplicationNo. 89854/2003 filed in Korea on Dec. 10, 2003, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning a dispenser,a method of aligning a dispenser, and a dispenser alignment system, andmore particularly, to an apparatus for aligning a liquid crystaldispenser, a method of aligning a liquid crystal dispenser, and adispenser alignment system.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices display images basedupon data signals that are supplied to individual liquid crystal cellsarranged in a matrix configuration. Accordingly, light transmittance ofeach of the individual liquid crystal cells is controlled to display theimages.

The LCD devices commonly include a liquid crystal display panel havingpixels arranged in a matrix configuration and a driving circuit fordriving the pixels. The liquid crystal display panel includes a colorfilter (CF) substrate and a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrateattached together to face each other using a seal pattern formed alongouter edge portions of an effective image display part. Accordingly,spacers are formed on either the TFT array substrate or the CF substrateto provide a uniform cell gap between the attached CF and TFT arraysubstrates, and a liquid crystal layer is positioned between the CF andTFT array substrates within the cell gap. In addition, a polarizationplate and a phase difference plate are provided at an outer surface ofthe TFT array substrate and the CF substrate. Thus, by selectivelychanging a light transmission state or a light refractivity state, theLCD device can have high luminance and contrast characteristics.

In the liquid crystal display panel, a common electrode and a pixelelectrode are formed to induce an electric field to the liquid crystallayer. For example, when a voltage is supplied to the common electrodeand a voltage supplied to the pixel electrode is controlled, individuallight transmittance of unit pixels are controlled. In order to controlthe voltage supplied to the pixel electrode by the unit pixels, a TFT iscommonly used as a switching unit that is formed at each of the unitpixels. In addition, alignment layers are formed at both facing surfacesof the TFT array substrate and the CF substrate, and the alignmentlayers are rubbed to provide an initial alignment direction of liquidcrystals of the liquid crystal layer.

Elements of the liquid crystal display device will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a unit liquid crystal display panel accordingto the related art. In FIG. 1, a unit liquid crystal display panel isformed by a TFT array substrate and a CF substrate. As shown in FIG. 1,a liquid crystal display panel 100 includes an image display part 113where the liquid crystal cells are arranged in a matrix configuration, agate pad part 114 connected to gate lines of the image display part 113,and a data pad part 115 connected to data lines. The gate pad part 114and the data pad part 115 are formed along edge regions of the TFT arraysubstrate 101 that do not overlap with the CF substrate 102. The gatepad part 114 supplies scan signals from a gate driver integrated circuit(IC) (not shown) to the gate lines of the image display part 113, andthe data pad part 115 supplies data signals from a data driver IC (notshown) to the data lines of the image display part 113.

The data lines and the gate lines are provided on the TFT arraysubstrate 101 of the image display part 113 to intersect each other. Inaddition, a TFT is provided at each intersection of the data and gatelines for switching a corresponding one of the liquid crystal cells.Moreover, a pixel electrode is provided on the TFT array substrate 101for driving each of the liquid crystal cells connected to acorresponding one of the TFTs, and a passivation film is formed along anentire surface of the TFT array substrate 101 for protecting the TFTs.

Although not shown, the CF substrate 102 includes color filters providedwithin the liquid crystal cells and are separated by a black matrix. Inaddition, a transparent common electrode (not shown) is provided on theCF substrate 102 of the image display part 113. Furthermore, the TFTarray substrate 101 and the CF substrate 102 are attached together usinga seal pattern 116 formed along outer edge portions of the image displaypart 113, and spacers (not shown) are provided between the TFT arraysubstrate 101 and the CF substrate 102 to form a uniform cell gap.

During fabrication of the liquid crystal display panel, simultaneousformation of a plurality of individual liquid crystal display panels ona large-scale mother substrate is commonly performed. Accordingly, aprocess for separating the individual liquid crystal display panels fromthe large-scale mother substrate is required, wherein cutting andprocessing of the mother substrate is performed. Then, after each of theindividual liquid crystal display panels is separated from thelarge-scale mother substrate, liquid crystal material is injectedthrough a liquid crystal injection port 118 formed in the seal pattern116 to form a liquid crystal layer within the cell gap that is formedbetween the TFT array substrate 101 and the CF substrate 102. Next, theliquid crystal injection port 118 is sealed.

According to the fabrication of the liquid crystal display panel, theTFT array substrate 101 and the CF substrate 102 are separatelyfabricated on individual first and second mother substrates that areattached together to include a uniform cell gap therebetween. Next, theattached first and second mother substrates are cut into individual unitpanels, and the liquid crystal material is injected into the cell gapbetween the TFT array substrate 101 and the CF substrate 102. Then, aprocess of forming the seal pattern 116 along the outer edges of theimage display part 113 is required to attach the TFT array substrate 101and the CF substrate 102 together.

FIG. 2A is schematic plan view of an apparatus for printing a sealpattern according to the related art, and FIG. 2B is a schematic crosssectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 2A according to the related art.In FIGS. 2A and 2B, a patterned screen mask 206 is provided onto asubstrate 200 having a plurality of seal pattern regions 216A˜216F,wherein the substrate 200 may be one of the TFT substrate 101 (inFIG. 1) or the CF substrate 102 (in FIG. 1). Then, a rubber squeegee 208is provided for selectively supplying sealant material 203 to exposedportions of the substrate 200 through the patterned screen mask 206.Accordingly, a plurality of seal patterns 216A˜216F are simultaneouslyformed along each outer edge portion of image display parts 213A˜213F ofthe substrate 200, and liquid crystal injection openings 204A˜204F areformed at one side of each of the seal patterns 216A˜216F for injectingliquid crystal material into a gap to be formed between the TFT arraysubstrate 101 (in FIG. 1) and the CF substrate 102 (in FIG. 1). Thus,the seal patterns 216A˜216F formed on the substrate 200 confine theliquid crystal material and prevent leakage of the liquid crystalmaterial.

A method of screen printing the seal patterns 216A˜216F includesapplying the sealant 203 onto the patterned screen mask 206, forming theseal patterns 216A˜216F on the substrate 200 using the rubber squeegee208, and drying the seal pattern 216A˜216F by evaporating solventcontained in the sealant material 203 and leveling the sealant material203. Although the screen printing method is commonly used because of itssimplicity, the method results in significant amounts of sealantmaterial waste. Specifically, large amounts of the sealant material iswasted since it is applied along an entire surface of the patternedscreen mask 206 in order to simultaneously form the seal patterns216A˜216F using the rubber squeegee 208. Accordingly, any excess sealantmaterial that is printed through the plurality of seal pattern regions216A˜216F of the patterned screen mask 206 is discarded.

In addition, the screen printing method is disadvantageous in that arubbed alignment layer (not shown) formed on the substrate 200 isdegraded as a result of the patterned screen mask 206 being brought intocontact with the substrate 200. Accordingly, the degradation of therubbed alignment layer corrupts picture quality of the LCD device. Thus,a seal dispensing method has been developed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of method of dispensing a seal patternaccording to the related art. In FIG. 3, as a substrate 300 loaded ontoa table 310 is moved X- and Y-directions, a plurality of seal patterns316A˜316F are formed along outer edge portions of each image displaypart 313A˜313F formed on the substrate 300 by applying pressure to aplurality of syringes 301A˜301C filled with sealant material.Accordingly, a first column group of the seal patterns 316A˜316C aresimultaneously formed along outer edge portions of the image displayparts 313A˜313C, and then a second column group of the seal patterns316D˜316F are simultaneously formed along outer edge portions of theimage display parts 313D˜313F. Thus, sealant material waste may bereduced. In addition, since the syringes 301A˜301C do not contact therubbed alignment layer (not shown), damage to the rubbed alignment layeris prevented and picture quality of the LCD device is not corrupted.However, the syringes 301A˜301C must be precisely aligned with thesubstrate 300 to accurately form the seal patterns 316A˜316F at desiredpositions. For example, if the syringes 301A˜301C are not properlyaligned with the substrate 300, the seal patterns 316A˜316F formed onthe substrate 300 can be formed within the image display parts313A˜313F, rather than along the outer edge portions of the imagedisplay parts 313A˜313F. Accordingly, the liquid crystal display panelmay be defective.

FIGS. 4A to 4F are sequential schematic perspective views of a dispenseralignment method according to the related art. In FIG. 4A, a dummysubstrate 411 is loaded onto a table 410.

In FIG. 4B, the table 410 is moved to a predetermined position, andsealant material is discharged onto the dummy substrate 411 through asyringe 401A to form a first cross alignment pattern 412. Then, an imageof the first cross alignment pattern 412 is detected using a first imagecamera 402A provided at a side of the syringe 401A, and the image isdisplayed using a display unit 420. The display unit 420 simultaneouslydisplays a position of the first alignment pattern 412 and a firstreference position.

In FIG. 4C, the table 410 is moved in X- and Y-directions so that theposition of the first alignment pattern 412 displayed on the displayunit 420 and the first reference position can be aligned to correspondto each other.

In FIG. 4D, after the table 410 is moved to a predetermined differentposition, the sealant material is discharged onto the dummy substrate411 through the syringe 401A to form a second cross alignment pattern413.

In FIG. 4E, the image of the second alignment pattern 413 is detectedusing a second image camera 402B, and is displayed using the displayunit 420. In addition, the display unit 420 simultaneously displays theposition of the second alignment pattern 413 and a second referenceposition.

In FIG. 4F, the second image camera 402B is moved along X- andY-directions so that the position of the second alignment pattern 413displayed on the display unit 420 and the second reference position canbe aligned to correspond to each other. Then, after the dispenser isaligned using the dummy substrate 411, the dummy substrate 411 isunloaded from the table 410, and a substrate having a plurality of imagedisplay parts (not shown) formed thereon is loaded onto the table 410.Next, seal patterns are formed along each outer edge portion of theimage display parts through a plurality of syringes (not shown).

In FIGS. 4A-4F, when sealant material filled in the plurality ofsyringes (not shown) decreases to an amount that further seal patternsmay not be formed, the syringe or syringes must be replaced with newsyringes filled with sealant material. Accordingly, since an alignmentstate between the dispenser and the table 410 is compromised due toreplacement of the syringe(s), the dispenser alignment process, as shownin FIGS. 4A to 4F, must be repeated. In addition, if a defective sealpattern is detected during a follow-up testing process, the syringe(s)may be replaced and the dispenser alignment process, as shown in FIGS.4A to 4F, must be repeated. Moreover, anytime the syringe(s) are movedor replaced, the dispenser alignment process, as shown in FIGS. 4A to4F, must be repeated.

As sizes of the liquid crystal display panels are increased, an area ofthe substrate for fabricating large-scale liquid crystal display panelsalso increases. Accordingly, since the dummy substrate 411 used foraligning the dispenser must be substantially the same size as thesubstrate for fabricating the liquid crystal display panels, the size ofthe dummy substrate 411 must be increased. Thus, manual loading andunloading of the dummy substrate 411 increases a processing time foraligning the dispenser, thereby degrading productivity of the LCDdevice. In addition, since loading and unloading of the large-scaledummy substrate 411 is manually performed, probability of damage to thedummy substrate 411 increases, thereby increasing production costs ofthe LCD device. Moreover, in order to manually load and unload thelarge-scale dummy substrate 411, a certain amount of space must bereserved for storage of the large-scale dummy substrate 411. Thus,efficient use of clean room space in which the LCD device is fabricateddecreases, thereby increasing facility costs.

In addition, when sealant material filled in the syringe(s) falls belowa preset level and is not adequate to form additional seal patterns, thesyringe(s) must be replaced with a new syringe. Alternatively, when adefective seal pattern is detected during a follow-up testing process,the dummy substrate must be loaded onto the table to align the dispenserand then unloaded, thereby increasing processing time and reducingproductivity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an apparatus foraligning a liquid crystal dispenser, a method of aligning a liquidcrystal dispenser, and a dispenser alignment system that substantiallyobviates one or more of the problems due to limitations anddisadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus foraligning a dispenser for fabrication of large-scale liquid crystaldisplay panels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method foraligning a dispenser for fabrication of large-scale liquid crystaldisplay panels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus foraligning a dispenser for fabrication of a substrate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method foraligning a dispenser for fabrication of a substrate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dispenseralignment system for fabrication of large-scale liquid crystal displaypanels.

Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inthe description which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Theobjectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized andattained by the structure particularly pointed out in the writtendescription and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposeof the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, anapparatus for aligning a dispenser includes a table having a firstalignment mark, an alignment plate provided along at least one side ofthe table, at least one syringe supplying a dispensing material to thealignment plate through a nozzle provided at one end portion thereof toform a second alignment mark, a first image camera provided along a sideof the syringe and detecting an image of the second alignment mark, asecond image camera detecting an image of the first alignment mark, andan alignment control unit aligning the image of the second alignmentmark and a first reference position, and aligning the image of the firstalignment mark and a second reference position.

In another aspect, a method for aligning a dispenser includes attachingan alignment plate along at least one side of a table having a firstalignment mark, forming a second alignment mark on the alignment plateusing a first syringe, moving the table along at least one of X- andY-directions, detecting an image of the second alignment mark using afirst camera and aligning the image of the second alignment mark and afirst reference position, and detecting an image of the first alignmentmark using a second camera and aligning the image of the first alignmentmark and a second reference position.

In another aspect, a method for aligning a dispenser includes detectinga position of a second alignment mark formed using a first syringe on analignment plate of a table, moving the table along at least one of X-and Y-directions to align the position of the second alignment mark witha first reference position, detecting a position of a first alignmentmark formed on the table, and aligning the position of the firstalignment mark with a second reference position.

In another aspect, a dispenser alignment system includes an alignmentplate provided along at least one side of a table, the table having afirst alignment mark and the alignment plate having a second alignmentmark, a first image camera detecting an image of the second alignmentmark, a second image camera detecting an image of the first alignmentmark, and an alignment control unit aligning the image of the secondalignment mark and a first reference position, and aligning an image ofthe first alignment mark and a second reference position.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principles of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a unit liquid crystal display panel accordingto the related art;

FIG. 2A is schematic plan view of an apparatus for printing a sealpattern according to the related art;

FIG. 2B is a schematic cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 2Aaccording to the related art.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of method of dispensing a seal patternaccording to the related art;

FIGS. 4A to 4F are sequential schematic perspective views of a dispenseralignment method according to the related art;

FIG. 5 is schematic perspective view of an exemplary apparatus foraligning a dispenser according to the present invention;

FIGS. 6A to 6E are sequential schematic perspective views of anexemplary method for aligning a dispenser by using the exemplaryapparatus of FIG. 5 according to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another exemplary apparatus for aligninga dispenser according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the illustrated embodiments ofthe present invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

FIG. 5 is schematic perspective view of an exemplary apparatus foraligning a dispenser according to the present invention. In FIG. 5, adispenser aligning apparatus may includes a table 510 having a firstalignment mark 512A and driven along X- and Y-directions, an alignmentplate 511 provided along a side portion of the table 510, a syringe 501Afor supplying dispensing material to the alignment plate 511 to form asecond alignment mark 512B when the table 510 is moved along the X- andY-directions, a first image camera 502A provided along a side portion ofthe syringe 501A for detecting an image of the second alignment mark512B formed on the alignment plate 511, a second image camera 502B fordetecting an image of the first alignment mark 512A, and an alignmentcontrol unit 520. The alignment control unit 520 may control movement ofthe table 510 along the X- and Y-directions so that the second alignmentmark 512B detected by the first image camera 502A and a first referenceposition may be aligned, and may control movement of the second imagecamera 502B along the X- and Y-directions so that the first alignmentmark 512A detected by the second image camera 502B and a secondreference position may be aligned.

In FIG. 5, the first alignment mark 512A may include an engraved markdisposed at a predetermined position on the table 510. For example, thefirst alignment mark 512A may be made of material that may not reflectlight, such as aluminum oxide, and may have a cross pattern.

The alignment plate 511 may be formed of glass material having an areasmaller than a substrate used for fabricating a liquid crystal displaypanel, and may be separably attached along a side portion of the table510. In addition, the alignment plate 511 may be formed of glassmaterial having an area smaller than the table 510. Alternatively, thealignment plate 511 may be separably attached along multiple sideportions of the table 510, or may be separably attached to along allside portions of the table 510. In addition, the alignment plate 511 maybe attached such that a top surface of the alignment plate 511 may becoplanar with a surface of the liquid crystal display panel loaded ontothe table 510.

In FIG. 5, the alignment control unit 520 may include a first displaypart 520A for displaying the image of the second alignment mark 512Bdetected by the first image camera 502A and the first referenceposition; a second display part 520B for displaying the first alignmentmark 512A detected by the second image camera 502B and the secondreference position. In addition, the alignment control unit 520 mayinclude a control unit 521 for moving the table 510 along X- andY-directions in order to align the second alignment mark 512B and thefirst reference position, and for moving the second image camera 502B inorder to align the first alignment mark 512A and the second referenceposition. Of course, the alignment control unit 520 may include anautomated system, or a manual system, or a combination of automated andmanual systems. Although not shown, the alignment control unit 520 mayinclude further control systems, as well as monitoring and feedbacksystems. Moreover, the control unit 520 may provide for moving the table510 along combinations of X-, Y-, and Z-directions.

FIGS. 6A to 6E are sequential schematic perspective views of anexemplary method for aligning a dispenser by using the exemplaryapparatus of FIG. 5 according to the present invention. In FIG. 6A, thealignment plate 511, such as glass material, may have an area smallerthan the substrate of the liquid crystal display panel, and may beprovided along a side portion of the table 510 having the firstalignment mark 512A. In addition, the alignment plate 511 may have anarea smaller than the table 510. The first alignment mark 512A may beformed of material that may not reflect light, such as aluminum oxide,and may have a cross pattern. Then, the substrate of the liquid crystaldisplay panel may be loaded onto the table 510. Alternatively, adispenser may be first aligned and then the substrate of the liquidcrystal display panel may be loaded onto the table 510.

In FIG. 6B, the table 510 may be moved to a predetermined position, andsealant material may be discharged onto the alignment plate 511 througha nozzle (not shown) provided at an end portion of the syringe 501A toform the second alignment mark 512B. Then, an image of the secondalignment mark 512B may be detected using the first image camera 502Aprovided along a side of the syringe 501A, and may be displayed usingthe first display part 520A of the alignment control unit 520. Thesecond alignment mark 512B may have the same cross pattern as the firstalignment mark 512A, and the first display part 520A may simultaneouslydisplay the image of the second alignment mark 512B and the firstreference position. Of course, the first and second alignment marks 512Aand 512B may have other patterns or configurations in order to providean image onto the first and second display parts 520A and 520B. Forexample, the first and second alignment marks 512A and 512B may havelike or dissimilar geometrical shapes. Moreover, the first and seconddisplay parts 520A and 520B may have like or dissimilar referencepositions.

In FIG. 6C, the table 510 may be moved along the X- and Y-directionsusing the control unit 521 of the alignment control unit 520, in orderto align the image of the second alignment mark 512B and the firstreference position displayed on the first display part 520A so as tocorrespond to each other.

In FIG. 6D, the image of the first alignment mark 512A on the table 510may be detected using the second image camera 502B, and may be displayedusing the second display part 520B of the alignment control unit 520.Accordingly, the second display part 520B may simultaneously display theimage of the first alignment mark 512A and the second referenceposition.

In FIG. 6E, the second image camera 502B may be moved along the X- andY-directions using the control unit 521 of the alignment control unit520 in order to align the image of the first alignment mark 512A and thesecond reference position displayed on the second display part 520B soas to be correspond to each other. Then, the substrate having theplurality of image display parts formed thereon may be loaded onto thetable 510, and seal patterns may be formed along each outer edge portionof the image display parts using a plurality of syringes.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another exemplary apparatus for aligninga dispenser according to the present invention. According to the presentinvention, since features of FIG. 7 may be similar to the features ofthe exemplary apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A-6E, detailed descriptionof these similar features have been omitted for the sake of brevity.Moreover, since operation of the exemplary apparatus of FIG. 7 may besimilar to operation of the exemplary apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and6A-6E, detailed description of the similar operational steps have beenomitted for the sake of brevity. For example, operation of the exemplaryapparatus shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A-6E include use of a single syringe501A to form a second alignment mark 512B and a first image camera 502Aprovided along a side portion of the syringe 501A, whereas the exemplaryapparatus of FIG. 7 may include a plurality of syringes 601A, 601B, and601C to form a plurality of alignment marks 612A, 612B, and 612C, and aplurality of image cameras 602A, 602B, and 602C.

In FIG. 7, a dispenser aligning apparatus may includes a table 610having a first alignment mark 612 and driven along X- and Y-directions,an alignment plate 611 provided along a side portion of the table 610, aplurality of syringes 601A, 601B, and 601C for supplying dispensingmaterial to the alignment plate 611 to form a plurality of alignmentmarks 612A, 612B, and 612C when the table 610 is moved along the X- andY-directions, a plurality of image cameras 602A, 602B, and 602C providedalong a side portion of each of the plurality of syringes 601A, 601B,and 601C for detecting an images of the alignment marks 612A, 612B, and612C formed on the alignment plate 611, and an alignment control unit620. Although not shown, an additional image camera is provided fordetecting an image of a first alignment mark 612 formed in the table610, similar to features shown in FIGS. 5 and 6A-6E. The alignmentcontrol unit 620 may control movement of the table 610 along the X- andY-directions so that the plurality of alignment marks 612A, 612B, and612C detected by the plurality of image cameras 602A, 602B, and 602C anda plurality of reference positions may be aligned, and may controlmovement of the addition image camera (not shown) along the X- andY-directions so that the first alignment mark 612 detected by theadditional image camera (not shown) and an additional reference position(not shown) may be aligned.

In FIG. 7, the additional alignment mark 612 may include an engravedmark disposed at a predetermined position on the table 610. For example,the additional alignment mark 612 may be made of material that may notreflect light, such as aluminum oxide, and may have a cross pattern.

The alignment plate 611 may be formed of glass material having an areasmaller than a substrate used for fabricating a liquid crystal displaypanel, and may be separably attached along a side portion of the table610. In addition, the alignment plate 611 may be formed of glassmaterial having an area smaller than the table 610. Alternatively, thealignment plate 611 may be separably attached along multiple sideportions of the table 610, or may be separably attached to along allside portions of the table 610. In addition, the alignment plate 611 maybe attached such that a top surface of the alignment plate 611 may becoplanar with a surface of the liquid crystal display panel loaded ontothe table 610.

In FIG. 7, the alignment control unit 620 may include a plurality ofdisplay parts 620A, 620B, and 620C for displaying the images of theplurality of alignment marks 612A, 612B, and 612C detected by theplurality of image cameras 602A, 602B, and 602C and the plurality ofreference positions. Although not shown, but similar to the seconddisplay part 520B (in FIGS. 5 and 6A-6E) for displaying the additionalalignment mark 612 detected by the additional image camera (not shown)and the additional reference position (not shown). In addition, thealignment control unit 620 may include a control unit 621 for moving thetable 610 along X- and Y-directions in order to align the additionalalignment mark 612 and the additional reference position, and for movingthe additional image camera (not shown) in order to align the additionalalignment mark 612 and the additional reference position. Of course, thealignment control unit 620 may include an automated system, or a manualsystem, or a combination of automated and manual systems. Although notshown, the alignment control unit 620 may include further controlsystems, as well as monitoring and feedback systems. Moreover, thecontrol unit 620 may provide for moving the table 610 along combinationsof X-, Y-, and Z-directions.

The seal patterns may be formed having various configurations accordingto methods for forming the liquid crystal layer of the liquid crystaldisplay panel. In other words, when forming the liquid crystal layerusing a vacuum injection method, the seal patterns may be formed havingan opening to form a liquid crystal injection port along a side of theimage display parts. When forming the liquid crystal layer using adropping method, wherein liquid crystal material is dropped onto one ofa TFT array substrate or a CF substrate of the liquid crystal displaypanel then attached together, the seal patterns may be formed having aclosed loop pattern to encompass each outer edge portion of the imagedisplay parts.

According to the present invention, the dispenser may be preciselyaligned using a table having an alignment mark upon which a substrate ofa liquid crystal display panel is loaded thereon and an alignment plateattached to a side portion of the table and having another alignmentmark, wherein the alignment plate may have an area smaller than thesubstrate of the liquid crystal display panel. Then, seal patterns maybe formed on the substrate using a plurality of syringes. Thus, using ofa dummy substrate for alignment processes may not be required, therebyallowing for quick alignment of a dispenser and reducing production unitcosts of LCD devices. In addition, clean room space efficiency may beincreased.

According to the present invention, when an amount of sealant materialin a syringe is below a predetermined level and insufficient to formseal patterns, the syringe is replaced with a new syringe and dispenseraligning may repeated when the substrate of the liquid crystal displaypanel is loaded onto the table. Alternatively, when a defective sealpattern is detected during a follow-up testing process, dispenseraligning may be repeated when the substrate of the liquid crystaldisplay panel is loaded onto the table.

Thus, since an alignment plate may be attached along a side portion of atable, even when the substrate of a liquid crystal display panel isloaded onto a table, an alignment mark may be formed on the alignmentplate using a syringe. Accordingly, an image of the alignment markformed on the aligment plate may be detected using an image camera andmay be aligned with a reference position. In addition, since thesubstrate of the liquid crystal display panel may be formed oftransparent glass material, an image of an alignment mark on the tablemay be detected using an image camera and aligned with the a referenceposition.

In addition, according to the present invention, an alignment plateattached along a side portion of a table may be used to precisely aligna plurality of syringes which form seal patterns on a substrate of aliquid crystal display panel, and may control a gap between thesubstrate of the liquid crystal display panel and the syringes. When thesubstrate of the liquid crystal display panel is loaded onto the tableand seal patterns are formed using the plurality of syringes, precisealignment of the plurality of syringes and precise control of the gapbetween the substrate of the liquid crystal display panel and thesyringes may be achieved. For example, if the plurality of syringes thatform seal patterns on the substrate of the liquid crystal display panelare not properly aligned, then the seal patterns may be improperlyformed within image display parts of the liquid crystal display panel,rather than being formed along outer edge portions of the image displayparts. This misalignment creates a defective liquid crystal displaypanel.

In addition, if the plurality of syringes that form seal patterns on thesubstrate of the liquid crystal display panel and the substrate of theliquid crystal display panel are positioned too close to one another orif they are spaced too far apart from one another, as compared to adesired gap, a width and height of the seal patterns may not be uniformand some portions of the seal patterns may be broken. This error inspacing also may cause a defective liquid crystal display panel.

The present invention overcomes these potential problems. In the presentinvention, alignment marks are formed on an alignment plate attached toa side portion of a table using a plurality of syringes, which form sealpatterns on a substrate of a liquid crystal display panel, may bedetected by using image cameras provided along a side of the pluralityof syringes, thereby providing for precise alignment of the plurality ofsyringes.

In addition, a plurality of syringes, which form seal patterns on asubstrate of a liquid crystal display panel, may descend to contact analignment plate attached along a side portion of a table. In addition,the plurality of syringes may ascend to a certain height to have adesired gap between each nozzle of the plurality of syringes and thealignment plate.

According to the present invention, a dispenser may be precisely alignedusing a table having a first alignment mark upon which a substrate of aliquid crystal display panel may be loaded, and an alignment plateattached along a side portion of the table having a second alignmentmark and an area smaller than the substrate of the liquid crystaldisplay panel, thereby forming seal patterns on the substrate by usingthe plurality of syringes.

According to the present invention, since a dummy substrate is notrequired for aligning a dispenser, a process for aligning the dispensermay be quickly performed, thereby increasing productivity of the LCDdevice and reducing production unit costs of the LCD. In addition, sincea dummy substrate is not required, efficient use of clean room space maybe increased, thereby reducing facility maintenance and repair costs.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the an apparatus foraligning a liquid crystal dispenser, method of aligning a liquid crystaldispenser, and a dispenser alignment system of the present inventionwithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it isintended that the present invention covers the modifications andvariations of this invention provided they come within the scope of theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. An apparatus for aligning a dispenser, comprising: a table having afirst alignment mark; an alignment plate provided along at least oneside of the table; at least one syringe supplying a dispensing materialto the alignment plate through a nozzle provided at one end portionthereof to form a second alignment mark; a first image camera providedalong a side of the syringe and detecting an image of the secondalignment mark; a second image camera detecting an image of the firstalignment mark; and an alignment control unit aligning the image of thesecond alignment mark and a first reference position, and aligning theimage of the first alignment mark and a second reference position. 2.The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first alignment mark isengraved into the table.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe first alignment mark is formed of light reflecting material.
 4. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first alignment markincludes aluminum oxide.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe first and second alignment marks have horizontal and verticalpatterns.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignmentplate includes glass having an area smaller than an area of the table.7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignment controlunit aligns the image of the first image camera and the first referenceposition by moving the table.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the alignment control unit aligns the image of the second imagecamera and the second reference position by moving the second imagecamera.
 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the alignmentcontrol unit comprises: a first display part displaying an image of thesecond alignment mark detected by the first image camera and the firstreference position; a second display part displaying the image of thefirst alignment mark detected by the second image camera and the secondreference position; and a control unit driving the table along at leastone of X- and Y-directions to align the image of the second alignmentmark and the first reference position, and driving the second imagecamera along at least one of the X- and Y-directions to align the imageof the first alignment mark and the second reference position.
 10. Theapparatus according to claim 1, wherein a substrate of a liquid crystaldisplay panel is loaded onto the table.
 11. The apparatus according tothe claim 10, wherein an area of the alignment plate is less than anarea of the substrate.
 12. A method for aligning a dispenser,comprising: attaching an alignment plate along at least one side of atable having a first alignment mark; forming a second alignment mark onthe alignment plate using a first syringe; moving the table along atleast one of X- and Y-directions; detecting an image of the secondalignment mark using a first camera and aligning the image of the secondalignment mark and a first reference position; and detecting an image ofthe first alignment mark using a second camera and aligning the image ofthe first alignment mark and a second reference position.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 12, wherein moving the table aligns the image of thesecond alignment mark and the first reference position.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 12, wherein aligning the image of the first alignmentmark and the second reference position includes moving the second imagecamera along at least one of the X- and Y-directions.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 12, further comprising loading a substrate of aliquid crystal display panel onto the table.
 16. The method according toclaim 15, wherein a surface of the alignment plate attached to the tableis coplanar to a surface of the substrate loaded onto the table.
 17. Themethod according to claim 12, further comprising loading a substrate ofa liquid crystal display panel onto the table before the attaching analignment plate along at least one side of the table.
 18. The methodaccording to claim 12, further comprising loading a substrate of aliquid crystal display panel onto the table after the attaching analignment plate along at least one side of the table.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 12, further comprising: loading a substrate of aliquid crystal display panel onto the table; and forming a seal patternon the substrate using at least one second syringe after the image ofthe first alignment mark is detected using the second camera and alignedwith the second reference position.
 20. The method according to claim19, wherein the seal pattern includes an opening.
 21. The methodaccording to claim 19, wherein the seal pattern includes a closed looppattern.
 22. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:forming third alignment marks on the alignment plate attached to thetable using a plurality of second syringes; and detecting images of thethird alignment marks using third image cameras provided along a sideportion of the second syringes and aligning the second syringes.
 23. Themethod according to claim 12, further comprising: descending at leastone second syringe to contact the alignment plate attached to the table;and ascending the second syringe to form a distance between a nozzle ofthe second syringe and a surface of the alignment plate.
 24. The methodaccording to claim 23, wherein the surface of the alignment plateattached to the table is coplanar to a surface of a substrate of aliquid crystal display panel loaded onto the table.
 25. The methodaccording to claim 12, wherein the first and second alignment marks havehorizontal and vertical patterns.
 26. A method for aligning a dispenser,comprising: detecting a position of a second alignment mark formed usinga first syringe on an alignment plate of a table; moving the table alongat least one of X- and Y-directions to align the position of the secondalignment mark with a first reference position; detecting a position ofa first alignment mark formed on the table; and aligning the position ofthe first alignment mark with a second reference position.
 27. Themethod according to claim 26, wherein the detecting a position of thesecond alignment mark includes a first camera.
 28. The method accordingto claim 26, wherein the detecting a position of a first alignment markincludes a second camera.
 29. The method according to claim 28, whereinthe aligning the position of the first alignment mark with a secondreference position includes moving the second camera along at least oneof the X- and Y-directions.
 30. The method according to claim 26,further comprising: loading a substrate of a liquid crystal displaypanel onto the table; and forming a seal pattern on the substrate usingat least one second syringe after the aligning the position of the firstalignment mark with a second reference position.
 31. The methodaccording to claim 30, wherein a surface of the alignment plate attachedto the table is coplanar to a surface of the substrate loaded onto thetable.
 32. The method according to claim 30, wherein the seal patternincludes an opening.
 33. The method according to claim 30, wherein theseal pattern includes a closed loop pattern.
 34. A dispenser alignmentsystem, comprising: an alignment plate provided along at least one sideof a table, the table having a first alignment mark and the alignmentplate having a second alignment mark; a first image camera detecting animage of the second alignment mark; a second image camera detecting animage of the first alignment mark; and an alignment control unitaligning the image of the second alignment mark and a first referenceposition, and aligning an image of the first alignment mark and a secondreference position.
 35. The system according to claim 34, wherein thealignment control unit moves the table to align the image of the secondreference mark and the first reference position.
 36. The apparatusaccording to claim 34, wherein the alignment control unit moves thesecond image camera to align the image of the first alignment mark andthe second reference position.
 37. The system according to claim 34,wherein the alignment control unit comprises: a first display partdisplaying the image of the second alignment mark detected by the firstimage camera and the first reference position; a second display partdisplaying the image of the first alignment mark detected by the secondimage camera and the second reference position; and a control unitdriving the table along at least one of X- and Y-directions to align theimage of the second alignment mark and the first reference position, anddriving the second image camera along at least one of the X- andY-directions to align the image of the first alignment mark and thesecond reference position.
 38. The system according to claim 34, whereina substrate of a liquid crystal display panel is loaded onto the table.39. The system according to the claim 38, wherein an area of thealignment plate is less than an area of the substrate.
 40. The systemaccording to claim 38, wherein a surface of the substrate is coplanarwith a surface of the alignment plate.